Townes to Compete for Dominican Republic National Team

Loyola redshirt senior guard Marques Townes is set to take his talents to a higher stage this summer.

Townes is scheduled to play for the Dominican Republic National Team at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia July 29-August 3, Loyola Athletics announced Thursday.

Athletes from 37 countries will compete at the games. Over 450 events are offered, including basketball, archery and badminton. Eight countries — including the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Panama — will compete in basketball. Training camp is expected to begin July 16.

Townes, a native of Edison, New Jersey, is eligible for the tournament because his mother was born in the Dominican Republic.

“I’ve never had a chance to compete for a medal before so that is really exciting,” Townes said in a statement. “It’s a great honor for me and my family because we take a tremendous amount of pride in our heritage. I’m hoping to learn a lot of things from this experience and bring them back to my teammates here on campus.”

Townes averaged 11.2 points per game for Loyola last season, his first after transferring from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He was named to the Arch Madness All-Tournament team and hit the game-winning jump shot against University of Nevada in the Sweet Sixteen March 24.